SEATTLE, Oct. 17, 2018 -- The PSPL is pleased to announce the hiring of Shawn Percell as a head coach and assistant director for the Surf Academy. Shawn will also oversee the League monitoring and scouting program.

Shawn brings decades of elite coaching and playing experience to the academy and its players. Shawn recently was the associate head men’s soccer coach for Sonoma State University, in northern California. He was the assistant women’s coach for Seattle University for three years and the head coach for the Sounders Women W-League for the 2005 season.

Shawn, who holds a USSF “B” license, also coached at top youth clubs in northern California and in Washington state. In California, he coached for Santa Rosa United and North Coast Futbol Club and he also coached at Emerald City FC and Crossfire Premier.

Shawn will be the head coach for the Girls 2003 and Girls 2005 Surf Academy teams as well as conduct Surf Academy training sessions for Surf junior and senior players.

“We are very happy to welcome Shawn to the Surf Academy staff,” said PSPL President Stanley Holmes. “Shawn has tremendous experience as an elite coach and player, and he understands the challenging pathway to make it as a collegiate player. He is going to be a huge help for our players who want to play college soccer.”

Shawn said he is excited to be back in the Northwest and help young and talented student athletes prepare for and succeed at the collegiate level. “I am grateful for this opportunity to give back to the game and help others pursue their soccer and educational goals,” Shawn said. “I also want to thank Stanley Homes and the rest of the PSPL staff for incorporating me so quickly into the PSPL family.”

Shawn played four years at Santa Clara University. His team made a Final Four appearance in 1998 and was a National Finalist in 1999. Shawn was named Final Four MVP and Team Offensive MVP in 1999. He leads all Santa Clara teammates in career goals and assists. In the 1993-1994 season during high school, he played for the Borussia Dortmund U16 first team and later played for the Westfalia Herne U18 team in Germany, among other German and Dutch youth teams.

Shawn’s professional career also is impressive. Following graduation from Santa Clara, Shawn played for the pro club Belmopan Bandits, in Belize, Central America, where they reached the national finals in 2001. Shawn played for the Seattle Sounders A-League team between 2002 and 2004, reaching the National Finals in 2004.

He ended his professional playing career with the Sonoma County Sol in the National Premier Soccer League, a fourth-division semi-pro league in the United States. He led the team to national semifinals in 2007 and 2008 and captured a national championship in 2009. The team also reached the second round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup twice – 2009 and 2010.

Shawn is married and is raising three boys with his wife, Shannon, who is the athletic director for Green River College. Shawn also earned an MBA from Sonoma State University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing, from Santa Clara University.

The Puget Sound Premier League, sanctioned by US Club Soccer, is the fastest growing league for competitive soccer teams in Washington State. The PSPL was founded in 2007 with 12 teams and now hosts more than 2,000 teams. In its 11th year, the league supports clubs that produce national champions and college standouts.

The PSPL offers multiple competitive divisions for boys and girls, from ages 9 to 19. The league offers coaching education seminars and sponsors licensed-coaching courses. The PSPL also sponsors the Surf Academy program, which is a super-charged version of Olympic Development Program that attracts the league’s best players to form elite college showcase teams. The PSPL also hosts US Club’s PDP and id2 player identification program for Washington state.